ASK Angie ASL + Tips: Classroom Tips

Sharing five ASL tips things that you, as a parent or teacher, should look to include with your Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) child this school year.

1. Read the IEP. If there is an audiogram in the Cum file, ask a specialist to explain it to you. Your county’s DHH itinerant teacher, or the county’s audiologist, should be able to assist you. Be sure to include them in the child’s next IEP.

2. After you have an understating of the child’s hearing loss, choose the appropriate preferential seating that will best benefit the child in accessing the most auditory or visual cueing for learning. Inquire from the local audiologist to see if a surround sound system would be appropriate for your classroom.

3. If the child’s primary means of communication is ASL, be sure that a qualified interpreter is hired to assist in the classroom so that child has the best possible access to their learning environment

4.When reading to a deaf child make sure to include methods of showing the story in a more conceptual means. ASL is a visual, not written, language and as such a story is understood more effectively in a conceptual / visual way. This will benefit the deaf child and the others in the classroom.

5. Ask the parents to check the batteries daily before coming to school. Also ask them to send extra batteries to school in their backpack in case the battery dies during the school day

Angie Craft author and teacher brings over 26 years of experience in deaf education and is committed to serving the deaf community. Keenly aware of the isolation that deaf students often experience, Angie developed and wrote HandCraftEdASL to bridge the communication gap between deaf children who primarily use American Sign Language and their parents, peers or educators. www.handcraftedasl.com